Longing
by KaitieD
Summary: Nick and Phil may think that their feelings don't show, but others have noticed.


Maria Hill couldn't help but look up from her work again for the twentieth time in as many minutes. She knew that it had to get done, but she couldn't seem to keep her eyes off Fury for long. It wasn't him exactly. Instead it was the, what he probably thought were subtle, glances around the bridge of the helicarrier to see where Coulson was. The change in him had been slow, but she was trained to notice differences in behavior and she couldn't turn it off just because it involved her boss' personal life.

He would never admit it, but clearly he had developed feelings for Agent Coulson. They had worked closely over the past number of months, especially after all the events leading up to the Avengers and the battle of New York. It wasn't that unusual, developing feelings for fellow agents after an extended period of time working long hours in stressful situations. Happened all the time, actually. But the difference here, she guessed, was that as the director he probably saw it as unprofessional or crossing some boundaries. Or maybe it was more than that and he wasn't the fearless badass everyone thought he was…at least when it came to more personal things.

Glancing up again, she saw him fidgeting, casting furtive glances to find the object of his affection. Maria knew he didn't let it interfere with work or distract him in any major way, but when Coulson wasn't around, Fury seemed restless. It wasn't always that apparent, unless you compared his behavior when Coulson was around and a certain calmness came over the director, allowing him to give matters at hand his complete attention.

Finally, after scanning the room again and catching her staring, Maria decided she couldn't take it anymore. At first it had been amusing, and kind of sweet, though that word had never occurred to her in regards to Fury before. But now it wasn't just distracting him, but was interfering with her work as well. She knew that as a highly trained agent, she should be able to tune out all outside interference, but she was too personally involved to just let it go.

Just as she pushed her paperwork aside to go up to him, Coulson walked onto the bridge trailed by a few members of his new team. They were on the helicarrier for some extra training and to just generally tag along and get a little more field experience. As Coulson led the group through, she looked to Fury and saw his gaze settle on the agent. His face was unreadable, but she could see the stillness in him that hadn't been there before and the way he subtly kept his eye on Coulson as he led the team around the room.

Making her way up next to him, she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Would it be so bad to just tell him?"

Though he hid it well, she could see a quick flicker of surprise cross his face. Never one to betray his emotions, the look was quickly gone and a mask of indifference was there instead.

"Leave it alone, Maria."

Contemplating whether or not to press the issue, she decided that Fury wasn't a man that could be pushed into anything. She'd drop it for now, but there'd be more opportunities in the future. She thought the two of them together would work well and if she could make it happen, she'd do what she could.

Natasha leaned against the wall in one of the hallways branching off of the helicarrier's bridge watching the same show Maria had been. They hadn't discussed it, but she figured that if Maria knew Fury as well as she new Coulson, it had to be obvious to her as well. A smirk just barely graced her lips as she saw Coulson leading the new team back across the bridge to the conference room where they'd discuss some upcoming missions before Natasha would be called in to assist with some physical training. She knew that there were a number of other ways to get back to where they needed to be that didn't involved traipsing back in front of Fury and the number of other SHIELD agents hard at work. And yet there he was.

If he thought his desire for the director was at all subtle, he really needed to reevaluate his training, she laughed to herself. Passing by Fury on the way back to where she was standing, she saw him glance up at the other man far more times than was necessary. From where he was though, he missed the way Fury looked back at him each time he looked away. It was like watching two high school kids that were both too shy to say anything even though they both clearly wanted to be together.

Natasha just shook her head. This was why she didn't get involved in relationships. They were a distraction and something that she couldn't afford in her line of work. Not that she thought Coulson shouldn't go for it. He was a kind, intelligent, and hard-working man who deserved happiness. The group made it back to where she was standing and passed her heading down the hall. Coulson stopped by her side and followed her gaze to where the director was conversing with Maria.

"You're both acting like children."

She could see him tense up and if she wasn't mistaken, the faintest blush colored his cheeks.

"You have better things to do, Romanoff. Go do them" he said, shooting her a look before brushing past her.

"He's in love with you too, you know."

She saw him hesitate for a split second before continuing on, but she'd said her piece and he would do with it what he would. Hopefully one of the men would work up the nerve to approach the other, but it was up to them and no amount of interference could force them.


End file.
